(Reuters) China’s foreign minister Wang Yi met his counterpart from South Sudan and asked him to quickly identify and punish those responsible for killing two Chinese soldiers in the capital of Juba, according to an article on the foreign ministry’s website.

Two Chinese peacekeepers were killed and several others injured by a mortar shell earlier this month during fighting between followers of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end the civil war.

During that time personnel of the United Nations Mission to South Sudan (UNMISS) also came under attack.
The Sudanese minister Deng Alor Kuol expressed grief over the deaths and promised to quickly investigate and punish the culprits, according to the Chinese foreign ministry statement.

Wang told Deng Alor Kuol that peace is a prerequisite for development, and he hoped both sides in South Sudan can put the public interest first, and protect the safety of lives and property, including Chinese lives and property.

The peacekeepers’ bodies were returned to China on Tuesday. To date, China has sent over 30,000 officers and soldiers to 24 UN peacekeeping missions, and 13 have lost their lives, according to state media.